Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 16:29:42 -0700
Reply-To: mdshepherd@xerces.org
Sender: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
From: Matthew Shepherd
Subject: Native bees: more reading and resources
Hi everyone,
I head the pollinator conservation program for the Xerces Society, a
nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates. Three more
books that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about
native bees and pollination are:
Kearns, Carol, and James Thomson. 2001. The Natural History of Bumble
Bees. A Sourcebook for Investigations. University Press of Colorado,
Boulder, CO. (A slim, very readable book that is an excellent
introduction to American bumble bees.)
O'Toole, Christopher, and Anthony Raw. 1999. Bees of the World.
Blandford, London, UK. (A great introduction to bees and their biology,
behavior, and lifestyle.)
Procter, Michael, Peter Yeo, and Andrew Lack. 1996. The Natural History
of Pollination. Timber Press, Portland, OR. (An excellent book, probably
the best single volume on pollination. Fairly heavy reading, but stuffed
full of information on plant/pollinator relationships.)
It goes without saying that there are a look of good papers and journal
articles on pollinators, especially since they are a conservation issue
of growing importance and profile (yeah!). You might also like to look
at our website ( www.xerces.org ), where, under
the pollinator program, you'll find a brief outline of bee life cycles
and suggestions for things you can do to help bees. We're just renewing
the content and some pages are not in place yet, in particular, the
links page. If anyone wants a list of web page links and other
resources, I'll be happy to email a Word document with all the details.
Research recently done in northern California suggested that up to 90
percent of pollination on some farms comes from native bees. The
features that seem to support native bee populations are good nesting
habitat (bare ground or snags), good foraging areas (supports the bees
when crops not flowering), and minimal pesticides. There was an article
about this by Claire Kremen in a the fall 2001 issue of the California
Certified Organic Farmers newsletter.
Glad to see pollinators being discussed. They are profoundly important
to all of us, whether for the food we eat or the wild areas we enjoy and
which support the wild creatures that surround us.
Best wishes,
Matthew
______________________________________________________
Matthew Shepherd
Pollinator Program Director
The Xerces Society
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: mdshepherd@xerces.org
______________________________________________________
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to protecting the diversity of life
through the conservation of invertebrates,
the little things that run the world.
For information and membership details,
see our website at http://www.xerces.org/